Effect of Incremental (or Decremental) Changes in Caloric Intake

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

I just had the thought that it would be interesting to know what the

quantitative effect on weight is for a given shift in regular caloric

intake.

More specifically here is an example of what I mean: Suppose a

person has been eating 2500 calories a day for years and weighs

(equilibrium weight for that level of intake) 200 pounds. What would

happen to his/her weight if s/he raised intake to 2600, or dropped it

to 2400, while all else (exercise activity for example) remained

unchanged?

We know of course that one pound of weight is 3500 calories, so 100

extra calories is 0.0286 of a pound. So 100 extra calories every day

would raise weight initially by 0.0286 pounds per day. But as weight

rises so does caloric expenditure. And in this case weight would

rise until the increased caloric expenditure each day (carting around

the extra weight for example) equalled the 100 calories of

incremental intake.

So the question becomes ......... how far would weight have to rise

in response to a 100 calorie increase before the equilibrium weight

is again achieved where the additional caloric expenditure balances

the now 100 calories higher caloric intake? Or, how far would weight

fall in response to a reduction of caloric intake, in the above

example from 2500 to 2400?

Of course the response will vary with individual characteristics.

But that said, I think I have determined that for me each sustained

100 calorie change in caloric intake will change my body weight -

when equilibium weight is again established - by about fifteen

pounds.

I also calculated that if I were to raise my caloric intake to 4000

calories a day, my weight would stabilize around 430 pounds.

One message I get from this is that just one incremental banana a day

can make a big difference. And 20 bananas extra a day (20 x 100 =

2000) a positively HUGE difference. Food for thought?

Rodney.